Guard for valves



Feb. 13, 1934. GRADY T AL 1,947,081

GUARD FOR VALVES Filed April 8, 195a Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUARD FOR VALVES Application April 8, 1933. Serial No. 665,156

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a hood which is adapted to be locked in place over the handle of a manually-operated valve and thus to insure the valve against unauthorized operation or tampering. In general the idea of providing such a guard for valves is old, but our invention is directed to simplifications in structure, to the end that the guard may be readily made in metalstamping machines. It is our aim to provide a guard having a minimum number of component parts--a valve in which durability and economy are most eilectively combined.

In the accompanying drawing Figs. Ia, 1b and show three conventional views of the hood member of the guard. Figs. Ila and 11b show in side elevation and in top plan the floor element of the structure. Fig. III is a view in side elevation of a typical valve, and illustrates in vertical section the device of the invention in position of service thereon. And Fig. IV is a view in side elevation showing the guard in service.

Our valve guard comprises two body members 1 and 2, which are hinged together at 3 (Fig. III), and adapted to be lockedin place over the handle 4and operating stem 5 of the valve 6. 0f the several permissible materials that may be used. we choose to construct the device of sheet steel, say of about in thickness.

The housing member 1 is advantageously cupshaped; a tongue 8 extends from its rim la and includes, for reasons presently to be described, an orifice 9; and in the wall of the cup member, opposite the tongue 8, a slot 10 is formed. The slot 10 is so located in the wall of the body member'l that a thin strip 11 of metal remains between the rim la and the slot. Such strip 11 is adapted to serve as a pintle for the articular union of the two housing members 1, 2.

The member 2 comprises a substantially fiat disc of sheet metal, such as that of which the body 1 is fashioned. The disc includes a peripheral flange 12, which is interrupted in its conti nuity at two points: at one point the fiat body of the disc is continued outward of the flange, to provide a tongue 13; and diametrically opposite the tongue 13, the flange 12 is interrupted, to provide an element 14 which lies in common plane with the flat body of member 2. The member 2 is provided with a central aperture 15, and also an arcuate slot 16, which corresponds in plan to the cross-sectional form of the tongue 8 on housing member 1.

In assembling the housing members 1 and 2, the tongue 13 on member 2 is projected into the slot 10 of member 1 and coiled about the pintle 11, in the manner indicated in Fig. 111. The structure is now ready for service. To install the guard structure, the handle 4 of the valve is removed and the body member 2 placed upon the valve stem 5, the member 1 being swung aside the while, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. III. Then the handle 4 is restored to secure position upon the stem, and the member 1 is swung downward into its full-line position.

In swinging to such position the tongue 8 on member 1 is projected through the slot 16 in member 2, and the rim 1a of the upper housing member is brought to a position within the flange 12; that is, the flange 12 overlies the line of meeting of the two housing members. It will be observed that the valve stem and handle are completely inclosed, and that the valve 6 is securely guarded against tampering so long as the guard is in its closed position. The bar of a padlock 'l is locked in orifice 9 of the tongue 8, and, manifestly, the interengaging parts 8, 14, together with the padlock 7, serve to lock the housing upon the valve. In case the valve has a relatively long stem 5, we advantageously provide a spacing sleeve 17, which, before the handle 4 is restored upon the stem in the installing oi. the device, is placed upon the valve stem, above the housing member 2. When, thereupon, the handle 4 is secured to the stem and the guard housing closed and locked, its (the guard housings) vertical movement is positively limited, so that it may not be shifted upward, to bare any appreciable extent of the stem to tools. As a matter of fact,

in many cases we intend to form the sleeve 17 integrally with the housing member 2.

We are particularly concerned with the durability or security of the device against jimmying tools. It will be perceived that the hinged union of the two members may be eiiected, by reason of the particular shaping of such members, without the use of separately formed hinge elements.

It is further characteristic of this union that the pintle 11 is not exposed at its opposite ends, but is embodied in the .wall of the member 1, 10( and, accordingly, when the housing 1, 2 is closed and in service (Fig. IV), the hinge is relatively secure against tools; that is, the hinge has no pin or pintle so organized that it may be removed and replaced, whereby an unauthorized person may effect an opening and closing of the housing without its being detected. Indeed, to force the hinge at all, it is necessary to rupture the structure to such an extent that an inspector may quickly see that someone has tampered with the valve. Additionally, by means'of the flange 12, we safeguard against the use of tools at the line of meeting of the two parts, and so overcome a weakness to be found in the structures proposed by others before us.

It is characteristic of our device that it comprises essentially a minimum number of parts,

and interlocking means of the two parts. We

believe that in our structure these two details of construction have been perfected, particularly with cost as the determining factor. It

will be noted that the tongue 8 may be formed integrally with and comprises a continuation of the wall of member 1. The cooperating element 14 is in similar manner integral with the member 2, and so is the hinge-forming tongue 13. In brief substantially all elements of the structure are obtained by the particular shaping of two housing members, and in such shaping the housing members are adapted to be fashioned in automatic metal-stamping machinery.

We claim as our invention:

1. A guard for a valve having a handle secured to the tip of its operating stem, said guard com prising a housing formed of two members hinged together and adapted to be assembled upon said valve stem and closed over said handle, said housing including means opposite the point of hinging adapted to be interlocked by a padlock, whereby the valve is protected against tampering, said means comprising a tongue integrated with the wall of one of said housing members, and a cooperating element integrated with the wall of the second of said housing members, and a flange integrated with one of said housing members and extending peripherally thereoi', whereby in service the line or meeting of said housing members is located within and protected by said flange.

2. A guard for a valve having a handle secured Important in the question of.

union of the two housing members comprises a tongue formed integrally with the wall of one of said members and closed over a pintle carried by the other of said members in such manner as to render the structure inaccessible to tampering.

4. The structure of claim 1, together with a spacing sleeve arranged on said valve stem, to limit movement of the housing axially of the stem.

5. A guard for a valve having a handle secured to the tip of its operating stem, said guard comprising a housing formed of two housing members hinged together and adapted to be assembled upon said valve stem and closed over said handle, a spacing sleeve arranged on said stem between said valve handle and the wall of said guard housing, and means integrated with said housing members adapted to be interlocked by a padlock, whereby the valve handle is protected against tampering, and, due to the particular organization of said sleeve, the movement of the guard upon the valve stem is limited.

6. A guard for the operating stem of a valve, said guard comprising a housing including two members hinged together and adapted to be assembled upon said valve stem, means adapted to be interlocked to hold said two members in closed position, and the hinged union of said two members comprising a tongue integrated with the wall of one of said members and closed over a pintle carried by the other of said members in such manner as to render the hinge inaccessible to tampering in the manner described.

THOMAS GRADY. FRANK E. WOCHLEY. 

